1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of electrical connectors, and in particular to electrical connectors having filtering and/or transient suppression capabilities.
2. Description of Related Art
Electrical connectors which protect electrical circuits from electro-magnetic interference (EMI) and transient signals such as electromagnetic pulses (EMP), lightening and other voltages having pulses of extremely short duration and high amplitudes have become increasingly indispensable in a variety of electrical connector applications, in particular in military and aerospace applications. As such connectors become increasing common, issues of compatibility, ease-of-use, cost, and repairability take on increasing significance.
In the initial stages of the development of a new technology, standardization and mass production are primary objectives. Later in the development of the new technology, however, modularization, in which the customer is able to adapt a design to his particular requirements by arranging a variety of standard or custom components within a common framework, becomes an attractive option. Often, a modular product can render obsolete the original standardized design.
At this stage in the development of the technology, seemingly minor improvements can make a big difference. The key to the success of a new modular design can, for example, be as simple, and unexpected, as an improved latch which permits easy replacement of the module. The present invention involves such a breakthrough latch design. While simple in concept and implementation and superficially similar to latches used in other contexts, the inventive latch nevertheless represents a fundamental change which permits modularity to be achieved in the context of electrical connectors of the type which use EMI or EMP components.
Plural connector assemblies have previously been proposed, and a variety of latches are known for mating separate connectors together, but none of these designs is suitable for use as part of an EMI/EMP system in which the individual components in the connectors are desirably removed for repair or replacement. In fact, a prior modular assembly, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,163, teaches that the filter components in an EMI/EMP system should be fixed in the modular housing frame, rather then removable with the modules.
Because the technology of transient suppression and filter components designed to fit within connectors is well developed, the present invention concerns the interface between the modules and the modular housing rather than with a specific arrangement for fitting components within the modules, although one particular arrangement for fitting EMI/EMP components in a module is disclosed. The invention thus concerns a latch, and also a seal and a ground arrangement for the module with advantages in the areas of ease-of-use, cost, and repairability, rather than filtering performance. Although simple in design, the invention nevertheless represents a significant improvement in a technology which has reached the point where evolutionary changes can have revolutionary results.